A communication management plan is a project that ensures that effective communication is running throughout the project. Communication plays a vital role in project management. There is no team without communication, and there is no project without a team. Therefore, you should always have an effective communication management plan that allows you to communicate with all the people linked with the project.
A communication management plan allows you to pass and deliver the information that is only required. It will enable project managers to manage the communication between project managers and team members as well. Not everyone needs to know everything, so communication management plans determine which information should be informed to whom. It also ensures that information should be delivered during the life of the project.
Purpose of Communication Management Plan
According to a study, 80% of project management’s time is spent communicating. This means there is nothing left if we eliminate the portion of communication. Project goals can only be achieved if everyone is working as a team. A project can only be successful if all the team members are motivated and informed about what is happening in the project.
A communication management plan aims to set the framework for all the communication flows in a project. It helps in implementing and monitoring all the communication channels throughout the project. The project management plan helps satisfy all the stakeholder’s queries and keeps them up to date.
5 W’s of Communication Management Plan
When making a communication management plan, there are 5 W’s that you should always answer first.
- Who: Who needs to be informed and communicated? Identify your audiences like stakeholders, team members, and clients and communicate with them.
- What: What needs to be informed? As we mentioned above, there are certain things that only a few people need to know. So make sure you pass the accurate information to the right people.
- When: When it needs to be informed and communicated? Project managers ensure that accurate information is passed at the right time.
- Why: Why should the information be communicated? Why the information should be passed and delivered to the audience and why it is essential should be asked.
- Where: Where should the communication take place? There are many different mediums of communication, so project managers should ensure it as well.
Use of Communication Medium in Communication Plan
Finding a suitable communication medium for communicating is significant. Some audiences need to be communicated face-to-face, and some need to be informed by emails or messages, etc. For example, if you need to share or inform your client, a formal email will work very well. But if project managers want to communicate and update team members about the new task of the project, face-to-face meetings or video calls will be efficient.
Some efficient communication mediums for communication management plans are:
- Video Call
- One to one interactions
- Presentations
- Formal meetings
Choosing a suitable medium for communicating will benefit a lot. First, it will help the targeted audience to understand better, and then the project will run smoothly.
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